Method of and means for identifying skeins of fiber such as silk



Dec. 28 1926. 1,612,122

H. F. HOFER METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR IDENTIFYING SKEINS OF FIBER SUCH ASSILK Filed Dec. 20 1924 H. F. H'ofer. 351 M Gimme 1 o. v

Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

UNITE HANS FREDERICK HOFER, OF KOEU, JA'EAN.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR IDENTIFYING SKEINS OF FIBER SUCH AS SILK.

Application filed December 20, 1324, Serial No. 757,235, and in JapanMay 31, 1924.

This invention relates to identification means for skeins made fromthreads of any material but more particularly for skeins of silk.

Raw silk is exported and forwarded to the manufacturers in the form ofskeins and in order to be able to trace the origin of imperfectionscontained in the silk so that such defects may be remedied if possible,it has been found desirable that each skein of silk should be suppliedwith some kind of identification means indicating the operator who hasmade the skein.

Japanese raw silk skeins are not supplied with any such identificationmeans but skeins from some of the Italian raw silk factories are oftenprovided with some means or other whereby the operator who has wound thesilk thereof may be identified. Usually such means comprises a slip ofpaper on which is printed the name or the number of the operator who hasmade the skein and which is loosely inserted in the skein. Owing to thefact that such means is loosely placed in the skein it is liable to getlost when the skein is being unwound. Also, owing to the fact that suchmeans is made of paper it will become crumpled up if the skein isdampened for unwinding as is often the case, and will have a tendency tobecome entangled with the threads thereby causing breakages. Further, ifno such breakages occur and the paper is not lost, the writing thereonwill have become practically illegible due to the crumpling and damping.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide anidentification means for such skeins which cannot possibly become lostduring the unwinding of the skein.

A further object of the invention is to provide an identification meanswhich will have no tendency to become entangled with the threads of theskein.

A further object of the invention is to rovide an identification meanswhich will iiave no tendency to become illegible eitherduring thetransport of the skein or due to operations associated with theunwinding.

In order that the invention may be clean ly understood reference is madeto the ac companying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe means used for winding skeins having a complete skein wound thereonand indicating the commencement of the winding ofa second skein.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic, view of the identification means; and a Fig. 3is a table indicating a preferred code for use in marking theidentification means.

According to the present invention, the

identification means comprises a cotton or other thread preferablyheavier than the silk thread, which is adapted to be attached to theinitial end of the skein, that is, to the end of the silk thread fromwhich the winding of the skein is commenced. The cotton or the likethread is provided with a plurality of series of markings each seriesbeing a code indication of the operator who has made the skein.Preferably the cotton or the like thread is about half a yard long andthe series of markings are of such a character that a comparativelylarge number of such series of markings is contained upon the singlelength of thread, whereby if the thread is broken the remaining lengthWill contain complete identification means.

The code markings preferably comprise dots and dashes somewhat of thestyle of the Morse code, such dots and dashes being combined indifferent ways to indicate the numerals 19 and 0 as indicated in Figure8 of the drawings. Each operator is known or identified in the factoryby a number and each series of markings on the identification threadwill consist of a plurality of dots and dashes arranged according to thecode to indicate the operators number. Suppose for instance that theoperators number is 7 58 then the marking used for indicating thisnumber will be each identification thread will be clearly separated fromeach other and the code markings will be easy to decipher.

A suitable spacing to be adopted is as follows Intervals between seriesof markings or numbers 1".

Intervals between the markings corresponding to the figures in eachseries 1/3. Intervals bet-ween marking-s which make up the separatefigures 1/9.

The code markings are applied to the threads by any suitable means as byprinting.

The identification thread is attached to the initial end of the silk thrad before it is wound into the skein as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. Referring to this figure a represents the usual skeletonwinding device upon which the skeins are wound. A fully wound skein isindicated at b. A second skein is to be wound on the device in theposition indicated at c and the initial end (Z of the silk thread to bewound "on to the device is provided with an identithus it will notbecomeentangled wisii the silk threads of the skein and the inarkingsvthereon will not have a tendenc to become obliterated. Also there willbe no possibility of the identification means becoming lost and thus itthe operator during the unwinding of the skein notices any imperfectionstherein, the identification means will be clearly exposed to view whenthe windi is finished, and such means may be forwarded to the makers ofthe skein to help them in discovering the cause of the defect.

VJ hat I claim is l. A- skein of fiber such as silk havingidentification means thereon, such means comprising a distinguishingthread, attached to the initial end of the fiber and being adapted to bewound with the skein so that said thread will be attached to theterminal end of the skein when unwound.

2. A skei-n of fiber such as silk having identification means thereon,such means comprising a thread having identification markings thereonattached to the initial end of the fiber and being adapted to be woundwith the skein so that said thread will be attached to the terminal endof the skein when unwound.

3. A skein of fiber such as silk having identification means thereon,such means comprising a distinguishing thread attached to the initialend of the fiber, and being adapted to be wound with the skein so thatsaid thread will be attached to the terminal end of the skein whenunwound, such thread having a series of dots and dashes thereon, suchdots and dashes being arranged according to a code to indicate theoperator who has made the skein.

A. skein or" fiber such as silk having identification means thereon,such means comprising a distinguishing thread attached t) J1.identification means thereon, such means comprising a distinguishingthread attached to the initial end of the fiber, and being adapted to bewound with the skein so that said thread will be attached to theterminal end of the skein when unwound, such thread having a pluralityof series of dots andv dashes thereon, each of such series of dots anddashes being arranged according to a code to indicate a number, theseries of dots and dashes representing the numbers being arranged agreater distance apart than the dots and dashes of such series whichrepresent the separate figures of the number, and the dots and dashesrepresenting the individual figures of the number being arranged a lessdistance apart than the dots and dashes *cpresenting the dilij'erentfigures.

6. A method of identifying skeins ot' fiber such as silk, l .11 consistsin attaching to the initial en. or" such. fiber a thread containingidentification markings and winding such thread with the fiber whenmaking the skein whereby, when the skein is unwound, such distinguishingthread will be on theterminal end thereof.

In testimony whereof I alfiX my signature HANS FREDERICK HOFER.

at fiber such as silk having

